Sunday, July 11, 2010

Paris, L'Arc de Triomphe

...et un Tour Eiffel!

We left London around 10:00 for Paris. Believe it or not, I actually preferred the ferry from Dover. The train was lovely and fast, but I missed seeing the country side from the bus ride to and from the coast. But I must admit, I enjoyed the nap!

Our hotel - insanely small, no air conditioning - was clean and had a friendly staff. However, the location was horrid! Although only a 20 minute cab ride from the city centre, it was about an 1 1/2 hours from anywhere on the subway. And who can abide the Paris subway? Filthy. HOT. Crowded beyond belief. EF Tours: SHAME on you! Add to the fact that I caught a pickpocket with her hand on my wallet while still in my purse, you can imagine my new found love of the city's finer points.

Anyhoo, after my birthday dinner - great quiche - we hoofed it over to the L' Arc de Triomphe. And I am so glad. Last year I had the opportunity to see it from the window of the tour bus; it is so impressive in person. Seeing it as the sun set throuh the arches was beautiful.

The Eiffel Tower shot was from the following evening after the day at Versailles.

1 comment:

Mary Ellen
said...

Paris, in a word, sucks. I think the only people who enjoy it are those with buckets of money to hire a driver and be shuttled from place to place. A sanitized version of the dump which is Paris. And those horrible Sengelese illegal aliens who harrass you. And the utterly mediocre food. And the surly citizens. Anyplace is better than Paris.